


The Eighth Sea is Love

by Solitarysynonym



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 04:18:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5694463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solitarysynonym/pseuds/Solitarysynonym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Terezi has gone off to study polisci and Vriska is left behind in their hometown, directionless and wanting to be anywhere but here. When an unexpected opportunity whisks her away, she and Terezi reconnect through email.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Eighth Sea is Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wishbyspirit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishbyspirit/gifts).



> Part of Ladypalooza 2015!
> 
> Prompt: humanstuck vriska & terezi -- childhood friends who, after a handful of failed relationships on both ends (and a number of other struggles), realized they loved each other most. the mushier the better.

Volunteering for the navy had seemed like such a good idea at the time. 

Vriska’s home life had never been the best, but after graduation things had risen to new heights of unbearable as her controlling mother had harped on repeatedly about Vriska pulling her weight and bringing home the bacon now that she should be old enough to fend for herself. 

“You’re my daughter,” the poisonous woman had screeched, towering cadaverously over Vriska. “I raised you and now it’s your turn to put food on the table!” Sometimes Vriska wondered if her mother had devoured her dad. He was never brought up. Ever. 

With Terezi gone off to college to become a lawyer or something else ridiculously high achieving, Vriska found that her hometown was unbearably flat. Available girls were not up to her standards and her usual hang out friends had also gone off to college or else had found jobs almost immediately and no longer had the time or energy to wander and explore enough to suit Vriska’s hunger to be out and about. 

Even her ridiculous robot-obsessed neighbor was working full time as a mechanic and spending all of his free time constructing some massive hulk of metal in his garage and had no interest in playing a game or two. 

When Terezi did get back in contact all she talked about was how amazing her classes were and how exciting it was to be away from home. It made Vriska want to smash her phone to hear how her SUPPOSED best friend was off having more fun somewhere else and didn’t even miss her. Like any so-called college could be better than hanging out with Vriska. Nonsense. 

One particularly bad night she had stayed out until the sun came up before trying to creep back into her house unnoticed. She had however failed to notice the tripwire and stack of cans her mother had set up. A crashing rattle later and her mother came skittering down the stairs with a fresh diatribe about how Vriska would never amount to anything and had no prospects. After all, who would hire such an irresponsible deadbeat with no aspirations. Vriska had stormed out of the house before saying something she would regret later and wandered through downtown, dead tired but stubbornly determined not to go home until things cooled off. 

Slumped morosely outside a Starbucks, she toyed with a cup some other customer had abandoned, pretending to drink from it occasionally to keep the employees at bay. A ridiculously fit woman had paused on her way out with a large jug of fresh coffee. 

“Nice arms, kid,” the woman had said, nodding to Vriska’s admittedly impressive biceps. 

Vriska, ever thirsty for praise, had flexed smugly. 

“You should come by the office sometime, it’s just down the road. We put out a chin up bar sometimes and it would make me so happy to see you destroy some of these flimsy boys who manage two chin ups and think they’re hot stuff,” she said with a wry smile, winking at Vriska before sauntering off down the road. 

Vriska had watched her go appreciatively. Older than she liked but the tight khakis had shown off some impressively muscled thighs. Vriska zoned out for a while, hung over still from last night which no sleep was not helping, but finally she gave in to her curiosity and headed off in the direction the woman had come from, wondering if she’d be able to find this supposed office. 

The cluster of teenaged boys flanked by some very professional looking men in uniform with clipboards drew her in and she saw the woman from that morning come out from behind her desk to lean against the window and watch. 

The temptation to show off was only enhanced by the sneering boys as she shouldered her way through them and grabbed the bar with one hand. She fixed the nearer man with the clipboard with a steely glare, then grinned as she began to lift and lower with one arm behind her back. The grumbles had faded to awed murmurs when she passed twenty and dropped down to her feet, barely winded to a round of applause. 

The men in uniform had applauded, as had the woman, and soon enough she found herself inside, being patted on the back and offered coffee and sandwiches as they explained all the benefits of enlisting, from room and board to generous pay and abundant scholarship opportunities for life 

Vriska had hemmed and hawed and been taken out to dinner before agreeing to sign up for a short enlistment. After all, she’d have the chance to get more fit and have a nice nest egg when she was discharged and so many more opportunities…. 

8 months later she was shipping out and wondering what she had been thinking. 

\----

8 October

Dear Terezi,

I know you think I’m making a huge mist8 but that’s just the way things go sometimes. I’m out of the clutches of the old hag at least and a fully stocked gym with instructors and three meals a day. Could be worse. Don’t write back if you can’t think of anything good to say. 

-Vriska

P.S. Yes, my bleached hair is gone and I am sporting a proper crew cut. You’ll hardly recognize me.

\----

10 October

Vriska,

I can’t believe you got suckered into this. This is COMPLETELY ridiculous and irresponsible and the oldest trick in the book. YOU ARE A SUCKER. SUCKER. 

Stay safe and hopefully nothing exciting happens.

-Terezi

\----

15 October

Don’t be a baby, write me back. 

-Terezi

\----

18 October

I’m sorry I called you a sucker even if you are a sucker. 

-Terezi

\----

25 October

WRITE ME BACK SO I KNOW YOU AREN’T DEAD!!!!!!!!

-Terezi

\----

25 October

Geeze I’m not dead. I was mad you did the one thing I asked you not to you jerk. You’re supposed to be my best friend. This ship is incredibly boring so your wish about nothing exciting happening is certainly panning out. The only positive thing is that I now have a visible six pack. 

This ship reeks of testosterone and the few women are depressingly straight. Wish you were here. 

-Vriska

P.S. I don’t wish you were here. I wish I was there. This ship is SO BORING.

\----

26 October

I’d say I told you so but… No. I told you so. I hope your trip stays boring. You probably can’t tell me where you are but I’m glad there are no romance prospects. From what I’ve heard there is basically no privacy on those ships. Perhaps all the sobriety and celibacy will motivate you to make something of yourself. You’ve got an excellent brain as I’ve always said, why don’t you use it?

-Terezi

\----

31 October

Very funny. How’s college? Are you hooking up as much as the movies suggest? You’ve got a roommate but surely some of the cliches work out. Sock on the door? Even works for blind chicks. 

-Vriska

\----

3 November

Classes are good. Maybe with your GI bill you can attend whenever you’re free of the sailing life and find out for yourself. The only detail I will give you is that those college movies are as much a bull pie as we always suspected. Life is studying and exploring and classes. You’d be amazed how many people I can horrify by pretending to stumble on stairs or walk close to sheer ledges. I actually made someone fall down the stairs the other day as they tried to prevent me from falling. It’s what they get for just diving to save the poor helpless blind girl rather than using their words or noticing that I was GRIPPING THE HANDRAIL. Serves him right. Idiot. 

-Terezi 

\----

8 November

Sometimes you make me wish I was blind, you scourge. That’s the best prank I’ve ever heard of!!!!!!!! The sailing life makes it sound like I’m a pir8. I guess that’s part of why I signed up in the first place. Life on the seven seas and all that. Adventure. Excitement. Instead I’ve got engine maintenance, a cramped bunk, and no privacy. I miss my long hair more than I thought I would. Maybe I will finally get with the system and try some higher learning. My brain feels like it’s atrophying. The only classes they offer are to learn to do more and better ship maintenance or become an officer and be on this ship forever. 

I may want to be a pir8 but no way am I soul-merging with Davey Jones’ unending Flying Dutchman cruise. 

-Vriska

P.S. What would I even study?

\----

15 November

Ugh, finals are coming up and I almost want to tell you not to come here, but I think you’d take that as an excuse and you should definitely come here. You could study oceanography or history and focus on old nautical tales or whatever you’re into these days. Dig up more information on those lady pirates of old you were always going on about. Track down their journals or something and go on a treasure hunt for knowledge. You know you want to. 

-Terezi

\----

28 November

Hopefully you’re finished with testing. I guess you’re right, that does sound enjoyable and anything sounds interesting after being trapped on this ship for so long. 

There is nothing to do here. I can do a hundred push ups in a row and am starting to branch out into clapping ones and one armed ones just for some variety. My flirting skills are as caked in rust as some of the parts I keep having to replace with no one to flirt with. I thought the navy was the last bastion of my lesbian peers but so far there’s no talent on this ship. I am bereft, Terezi. How do I live like this?

-Vriska

\----

5 December

You’ll manage. To my knowledge you weren’t even getting laid that much in high school although maybe you just weren’t telling me about it. If it makes you feel any better people don’t want to hit on the blind girl here either. I feel like I’m in a bubble. 

-Terezi

\----

20 December

Vriska? You haven’t responded to my email. Did it not go through? Is everything all right?

-Terezi

\----

28 December

It’s been really busy here. Most of the crew was jockeying for holiday leave to see their families and the shuffling of crew has been extremely chaotic. Someone stole my laptop briefly although I managed to track them down and a broken nose later I had my computer back and a week of punishment duty, which mostly means scrubbing things. Boring. At least I’ve got my stuff back. Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. We get barely any time to ourselves on this ship but at least no one’s drinking or yelling at me about my failings as a daughter. 

I’m sorry people aren’t responding to your natural charms such as making helpful strangers fall down the stairs for trying to keep you from getting injured. Clearly you are surrounded by people with senses of humor that do not at all compare to my superior talents in that area. 

I expect that if I break some more noses I might get discharged early although the docked pay makes it pretty not worth it. 

-Vriska

P.S. I never really said a proper goodbye and congratulations when you told me you got into your dream school. I’m sorry. 

\----

3 January

Happy new year! I notice you still haven’t said goodbye or congratulations. 

-Terezi

\----

5 January

Hello and snoitalutargnoc.

-Vriska

\----

5 January

You’re such a jerk. 

-Terezi

\----

6 January

Takes one to know one.

-Vriska

\----

7 January

Hey Terezi-

I’ve got my first leave coming up soon and.. I don’t want to go home. Can I come crash with you for a couple of weeks?

-Vriska

\----

8 January

Of course! As long as you don’t mind sharing a bed like we used to for sleepovers or sleeping on the floor. The couch here is awful and I wouldn’t recommend sitting on it, let alone sleeping on it. 

-Terezi

\----

10 January

Sent you my itinerary and I guess I’ll see you soon!!!!!!!!

-Vriska

\----

10 January

Smell you soon!

-Terezi

\----

10 January

Gross. ::::)

-Vriska

\----

4 February

I’m sorry it upset you when I kissed you. I didn’t… I don’t want it to make our friendship awkward but seeing you… I know you can’t see but you look great. I’ didn’t realize how much I’d missed you until you were nearby again and it felt just like old times. 

I know you haven’t and don’t feel the same way about me but… 

I shouldn’t have done it, especially not without asking and I’m sorry for that, but I’m not sorry that I know how it feels to kiss you now and that… that you know how I feel. And that I know how I feel I guess. 

I’d never thought about doing it until this week, I promise you. If I’d felt this way in high school… Well you know I’ve never been the most secretive and if I’d liked you that way I would have TOLD you long ago! 

Listen I just… I’m sorry I did it so clumsily and without asking, but I think that you understand how sincere I am about this. 

-Vriska

P.S. Very sorry. Please please get in contact with me. I miss you so much already. 

\---- 

15 February

I accept your apology

-Terezi

\----

16 February

….....Is that it?

-Vriska

\----

25 February

…and when’s your next leave?

-Terezi


End file.
